5 Steps When Your Church or Minister Needs an Intervention

“Intervention” is
an award-winning reality show about addiction and the extraordinary lengths it
can take to face one’s unhealthy compulsions.

Each episode
chronicles the attempts by family members and friends to bring health to
someone who is destroying his or her life.

The extreme
measures portrayed often work; most of the people portrayed since the program
began in 2005 remain sober.

Intervention is
also a way of describing what happens when a congregation decides it no longer
wants to continue down a path of dysfunction and destruction.

Such a process
may lead us into the most painful and intense emotional journey we have ever
experienced. It takes courage, deep spiritual resources and an undying belief
in the power of prayer and divine presence.

We only
intervene with someone or some group when we love them. You and I see
destructive behavior every day in our culture, in the lives of clergy and in
the lives of congregations.

However, the
only times we are moved to action is when someone or something that we love is
threatened.

If you love
your church or your ministers, you may find yourself at the place of considering
an intervention fueled by that love.

God can use
that love and the power of facing the truth to bring health and healing to his
church and those he has called into ministry.

How do you know
when an intervention is called for?

In the realm of
individual clergy, the behaviors that spell trouble often mirror the behaviors
that indicate dysfunctional behavior in general:

The
individual becomes increasingly isolated, abdicating leadership.

Behavior
becomes disjointed and irrational.

Secrets
become standard fare in dealing with the congregation.

Triangles
(talking about others rather than to others) rule.

Signs
of depression, addictive behavior or emotional extremes become obvious.

Work
habits suffer, meetings and appointments are missed, there are long stretches
of time when the individual disappears.

Likewise, there
are times when a congregation’s behavior merits an intervention. Consider an
intervention when these describe a congregation:

It
breaks into “camps” or divisions; factions of people take sides on all issues.

Talk
is primarily about one another rather than to one another.

Speculation
and assigning motives to others are rampant.

Triangles
(two arrayed against a third group or person) abound.

There
is widespread demonization of those in disagreement.

Biblical
methods for dealing with conflict (Matthew 18) are abandoned.

God is able to
accomplish great miracles when people acknowledge their sinfulness, abandon
their rationalizations and justifications, their blaming of others and own
their mistakes. For inspiration, read David’s story again and again.

The
congregation or congregation’s leaders must come to the point that they
acknowledge there is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

Breaking
through denial and blindness is often the most difficult issue you will face.

Without an
overt act or public failure, it is often hard to admit that things are off
track and headed in an ominous direction.

Too often, that
sort of honesty is missing in a dysfunctional congregation. Speak the truth in love,
but persistently speak the truth.

You
need an interventionist.

Generally, this
means someone from outside the congregation who is relatively objective and
able to guide a process with a lower level of anxiety than those immersed in
the system.

A skilled
interventionist with a track record of working in highly intense situations is
a gift from God.

He or she
functions as a congregation’s Nathan as they speak the truth in love and guide
you through the necessary steps toward healing and recovery.

You
need a process that is healthy.

Recovery from
dysfunctional conflict or behavior is never quick nor easy. You did not get
into this situation overnight, and you will not emerge from it instantly.

Beware of those
who want to bring healing to your congregation or clergy in a weekend or a
single worship service.

Certainly,
there will be breakthrough moments, but genuine recovery from dysfunctional
behavior is best measured in months and years rather than days.

A church split,
clergy firing or clergy flameout often affects a congregation for a generation.

Repeated often
enough, dysfunctional behavior becomes imbedded in a congregation’s or clergy’s
DNA. Changing those patterns takes time and great endurance.

The
time to act is sooner rather than later.

Nothing is more
heartbreaking to a pastor than to have a married couple show up in the office
asking for help for their broken marriage, only to find that the conflict is in
its last stages and no amount of pastoral care will reverse the damages.

So it is with
congregations and clergy. It is often the case that calls for help go out only
after the conflict has become intractable and beyond resolution.

If you think
your congregation or minister is in trouble, proactively and humbly raise the
possibility of seeking professional care.

To become an
agent of intervention is serious business with many consequences. Hopefully, it
is above all an opportunity to see God’s healing hand at work.

Editor’s note: A version
of this article first appeared on the Center for Healthy Churches’ blog. It is used with
permission.